E3 Parents

Journaling For My Daughter

January 19, 2009 at 4:49 pm Leave a comment

I was first introduced to the idea of journaling for my daughter after reading Steve Wright’s ReThink several months ago. This is a common practice in Steve’s youth ministry and can be an incredible way to leave a spiritual legacy for our children. I left the book fully intending to begin this discipline for my daughter. I even have two brand new journals sitting at my desk. But it’s become one of those things that sounds like a great idea, but I haven’t practiced the discipline it takes to make it work (kind of like jogging everyday). 

Today I was reading and came across a brief essay on the subject of Solomon and Proverbs. I never realized, but the book of Proverbs is actually a journal Solomon wrote to his son. Take a look…he calls the recipient of this book “son” 39 times, and 23 of those times actually reads “my son.” It was a not so subtle reminder for me of the intentions I had of journaling for my daughter not so long ago.

The beautiful thing about keeping a journal for our kids is that there are no rules. We can be as creative as we would like. I’ve heard of a dad that kept a journal for his daughter that he presented to her when she got married, of parents that gave a journal to their children when they graduated high school, and of parents who kept a journal and gave it to their kids annually (first of year, birthday, Christmas, start of school year, etc.) It can be done for specific purposes over a short period of time, such as band camp or a mission trip. Or it can be done over a long period of time. I personally like the idea of journalling knowing that my daughter will read these words when she is older, more mature, and will appreciate the significance more than she might as a child. I also like the idea of sharing my thoughts and prayers for her on a regular basis as she grows and matures.

Have any of you practiced the discipline of journalling for your kids? How is it going?

Entry filed under: Family Ministry, Parenting. Tags: Family Ministry, Parenting.